


Song of the Sands

by Talinor



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe- Sirens, Canon Divergence, First Kiss, M/M, Pining Lance (Voltron)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-14
Updated: 2017-05-14
Packaged: 2018-10-31 16:01:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10902699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Talinor/pseuds/Talinor
Summary: The life of a desert siren was lonely, but Keith didn't mind it much. Not that he'd complain whenever a visitor came along.





	Song of the Sands

**Author's Note:**

> here, have a weird au I got Sudden Inspiration for when i was supposed to be sleeping  
> I started at midnight  
> it's 2 am now  
> enjoy!

Many people thought the desert was lifeless, barren of any and all opportunity. That it was as harsh as the unforgiving sun that commonly stood vigilant overhead. Even during the night hours, the dry ground was scorching against your skin.

Keith never thought of it as such.

He saw it as home, and no matter how hard he tried to resist it, it called to him. His mother's old thriving oasis called to him like the song he kept in his throat. Every moment away from it made him feel... numb. Off-put and simply _wrong._

So why bother staying away? He belonged here, as native to the sand as his kind's water-breathing cousins far away. Instead of a pretty luminescent tail like their kind, he'd get a practical red-tinted leathery tail designed to help him navigate under the desert surface. It was cooler underneath the searing surface. Especially when he went by the clear pool in his hand-me-down oasis. He stayed there often, his lungs specially made to hold his breath for a pretty sizable amount of time.

Most of the time, he'd only pop up for a few seconds for a new breath to last him a few more hours. The only exceptions were either to admire the countless array of stars at the dead of night, when everything was still and perfect. 

Or feeding day.

Now, his alluring aquatic cousins fed on flesh. But his kind had evolved past that barbaric method. Mainly because there weren't so many visitors to his little part of the desert that he could just start killing them and sustain himself for long.

Instead, they sapped their visitors of negative emotion. Nothing else worked quite as well as sucking them dry of their self-doubt like a vampire and storing it to live off of it for a few weeks like a cactus. It depended on how much was in the person.

Most of his visitors were only one-time meals, poor lost tourists he lured in much too easily. They'd talk, he'd let them quench their thirst in his pool, he'd feed, and they'd be sent on their way with directions to the nearest town. Few would come back for a repeat or even to thank him. The only regular he really got was a kindly scarred Japanese war veteran in his 20's with a prosthetic arm and phantom pain to boot. He was fun to talk to, and Keith even found himself worrying about his condition when he missed his usual monthly visit.

The life of a desert siren was lonely, but he didn't mind it much. Not that he'd complain whenever a visitor came along.

So when he saw a figure heading towards his oasis about a dozen or so yards away, he simply smiled and started to sing. His songs were always different, inhuman and transcending language. Each song was a small part of him he released, pouring his own emotions into the air. No two visitors got the same song.

His song this time was one of welcome and curiosity, underlined by his hint of creeping hunger. He hadn't had a visitor in a few weeks, so his supply was running low. He readily accepted the gift he was graced with.

Especially when said gift was not that bad-looking.

The visitor's skin was a bit lighter than most locals, but he was certainly dressed like one. Probably to protect himself from the sun. He could see traces of the visitor's short darker brown bangs pressed down by a dusty pastel blue visor and dampened by sweat. The visitor looked to be about his age, though all legs and a bit taller than Keith was out of his siren form.

The most notable feature he saw, however, wasn't any of that.

It was his eyes.

They were a beautiful rich deep blue, like he imagined the crushing depths of the ocean to be. Somehow they felt... strangely familiar to him. But he couldn't recall how or why. At his first notes, they widened in mild surprise. Then glossed over as the magic of it poured into him, luring him to come closer. Despite the fact that he was already heading to Keith's oasis anyways, unlike most others. It didn't hurt to be careful.

The visitor walked like the only thing keeping him going was the sound of Keith's voice. Of something held inside that he yearned to have. Keith moved back to the pool's edge, wordlessly making the visitor follow on his invisible leash.

Only when he kneeled by the probably much-needed water did Keith finally stop his song. The visitor blinked the dreamy fog from his eyes, and looked to him quizzically. He looked like he was going to say something, so Keith decided to beat him to the punch.

"You look dehydrated," he said. "So go on. Drink."

"I didn't come here to-" he started to protest with a voice Keith vaguely remembered in the far reaches of his mind. He was quickly shushed.

"You can tell me why you're here in a moment. Have a drink first."

With a sigh and a roll of his eyes, the visitor cupped his hands under the water. He brought it to his mouth and drank what didn't slip out of his fingers or dribble down his throat onto his shirt. He wiped his mouth with his long shirt sleeve when he was finished.

"Better now?" Keith asked.

"Yeah," the visitor confessed, looking to him. "But if I just wanted a drink of water, I woulda just stayed home."

"Speaking of which," he said. "Why _are_ you here, stranger?"

The visitor visibly deflated at 'stranger'. "Really?" He asked with disbelief. "You don't remember me?"

Keith examined his face for a moment. It felt familiar, but he'd definitely remember a face that beautiful if he ever saw it before. Finally he shook his head. "Can't say I do." He raised a brow. "...Should I?"

The visitor sighed in frustration. "Does the name 'Lance' ring a bell to you, Keith?" Keith mulled it over, wracking his mind for the name. "Lance Rosales? We were in the same class at the Garrison before you up and disappeared?"

 _"Ohh."_ Keith feigned recognition. He didn't know Lance well, but he still remembered the Garrison. It was only a few miles from his oasis, and being so tantalizingly close to it drove him crazy. He couldn't concentrate anywhere other than the flight simulator. He was irritable and his temper was a lot easier to rile up.

Suffice to say, he was quickly kicked out. And with nowhere else to go, Keith succumbed to the call of his oasis. Had been here ever since.

"So you came here just to find me?" Keith teased lightly. "How sweet."

Lance scoffed at that. "Yeah and no," he said. "I didn't miss you or anything like that, mójol."

"Riight."

Lance stared at him for a moment. "...Anyways," he continued on after a moment. "I heard what you can do. Feeding off of negative feelings and making them go away." His gaze was kinder now. His voice softer. "...Think you can do that for me?"

He had to admit, he was a little concerned. No one else really found him on purpose. Or, at least, not for their first time. It was always just a happy coincidence for both sides. No one had ever set to seek him out before.

Another part of him was curious. How much could Lance possibly feed him if it was so unbearable he had to find a way to get rid of it?

"Why?" He asked. "Are you okay?"

Lance smiled halfheartedly. "Yeah," he said. "Just... personal stuff. I don't really wanna talk about it. I just want it to go away so I can enjoy being around my friends without feeling like a sixth wheel." He widened his eyes at his too-revealing answer. "What the hell was _that?"_

"Sorry," Keith winced. "The water's enchanted. It's pretty much a weak truth serum. I probably should've told you, but it doesn't always have an effect on people." Lance seemed to calm down at that. "Don't worry, I won't ask you anything else."

Lance's tense shoulders loosened with a sigh. "Good," he said, strumming his fingers on his thigh. "So, uh... How does this work?"

Keith creeped closer to him. "It's different for each person," he explained, gingerly grabbing Lance's wrist. "Each person has a feeding point." He traced the bare skin with his fingertips, noting the smoothness. "I just have to find yours." It was usually on the upper body. Keith moved to Lance's arms, trying to sense any traces of the energy he needed.

Lance stayed perfectly still. "How do you know?"

"I've had practice, don't-" he stopped abruptly when he ran his fingers over the point. "...Oh." This was new.

Keith awkwardly took his fingers off of Lance's surprisingly smooth lips. Lance seemed to understand what he meant.

"...Oh." Lance repeated. He could've sworn his cheeks got a bit redder from the realization. It was obviously _not_ flush from the sun.

At any other time, Keith would've refused. Food was rare, but usually he could wait a few more days for someone to come along and still be fine. Save both of them the embarrassment.

His emptying stomach was quick to protest against that thought. So Keith lifted himself to be eye-level with Lance, inching closer and closer. He wanted more than anything to fully close the distance and seal the deal, but one thought made it through his hunger-hazed mind. It was enough to make him stop a bit short. "Are you still sure about this? If you're not comfortable with it, I can-"

An airy laugh interrupted him. "Are you _kidding?"_ Lance said in the same tone as when he said his 'sixth wheel' comment. "I've had a crush on you for yea--" He cut himself off with a clearing throat and a flushed face. "Uhm... I-I mean... Yeah."

Keith chuckled at that. "Don't worry," he said. "You don't need to explain." With that, he finally closed the distance between them.

How much he fed on was... concerning to say the least. It was enough to last him a month easily, and it was nice feeling Lance pull him closer with hands in his hair, but it was still concerning. It was even more so when he came back four months later with a pretty sizable amount again. They started to talk more before feedings, and gradually Keith realized something.

He likes this human. A lot more than any of the others.

He wishes he remembered Lance from the Garrison; they could've been doing this so much sooner.

**Author's Note:**

> comments are always appreciated!  
> my tumblr: squishy--squish


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